Max Verstappen remains committed to Red Bull Racing despite his torrid run of form this season, according to his manager Raymond Vermeulen, but the teenagers patience could run out if the performance issues continue.

The Dutchman has retired from fifth of the opening eleven races of the 2017 season and has only one podium finish in that time, and sits fifty points behind team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, who has five podiums including a win at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, a race Verstappen was forced to retire from thanks to an engine issue.

There has been speculation about the possibility of Verstappen jumping ship and moving to Scuderia Ferrari, but Vermeulen insists he will remain a Red Bull driver, although his future may depend on the team becoming more competitive with fewer issues with reliability.

“Ever since Max made his debut, there was always interest,” said Vermeulen to Dutch publication Formule 1. “Other teams were ready to offer him a contract, but we want to win with Red Bull Racing. Red Bull considers Max their star and will not sell him.

“We do not have any specific deadlines for Red Bull, but it is important that Max continues to achieve success. I’m still confident in the progress of the team, because Red Bull Racing has won four world championships together with Renault.